Akhanda 2 Review – A stormy Balakrishna saves the day, but the screenplay tests your faith more than the villains do
Akhanda 2 review – A Roaring Start Lost in Predictable Chaos
Story
A rogue Chinese army general devises a sinister biowarfare mission to strike at India’s spiritual heart. His target: the Mahakumbh Mela, the world’s largest holy gathering. The plan—release a lethal engineered virus into the sacred Ganga, devastate thousands, shatter faith, and undermine the very foundation of Sanatana Dharma.
Standing against this catastrophic threat is janani (Harshali Malhotra), who—with her brilliant team—develops a crucial vaccine. But enemy forces relentlessly hunt her down, determined to destroy the cure and silence her forever.
Just when darkness tries to eclipse faith, Akhanda (Nandamuri Balakrishna) storms into the narrative with divine fury. How he shields janani, combats foreign sabotage, and rekindles India’s spiritual resilience forms the crux of the saga.
Performances
Nandamuri balakrishna once again becomes the heartbeat of Akhanda 2. His towering screen presence, fierce charisma, and total immersion into the role carry the film on their shoulders. The aging of the character is handled neatly, and Balakrishna’s altered voice tone adds a touch of authenticity. While the performance is spirited, there’s little novelty compared to the first film aside from a fresh physical makeover.
As tradition dictates, balakrishna appears in a second role too. Despite a grand introduction, the character barely receives development, with the narrative heavily skewed toward Akhanda.
Among the supporting cast, several known data-faces appear but leave minimal impact due to thinly written roles. Aadi Pinishetty is shockingly underutilized, with his character’s intrigue evaporating almost instantly. Samyuktha Menon is relegated to a song appearance. Harshali Malhotra gets substantially more screen time and performs decently. Saswata Chatterjee, sadly, is wasted.
Technicalities
Thaman’s music doesn’t reach the soaring heights of the first film. The songs are passable, and while the background score improves in the latter half, the first half feels surprisingly flat.
Cinematography shines in segments without heavy VFX. But the stylized, over-the-top portions display uneven blending, giving the visuals a dated, cluttered feel. Fast cuts often distract instead of energizing.
VFX-heavy scenes lack finesse. Direction-wise, boyapati Sreenu’s signature style is intact but feels repetitive, especially with political messaging creeping into the writing.
Analysis
boyapati Sreenu’s fourth collaboration with Balakrishna and sequel to their massive hit Akhanda arrives with immense expectations. The film opens impressively, with intriguing continuity from Part 1 and a strong title sequence. But once the second character, Balamurali Krishna, is introduced, the narrative quickly reverts to formula.
The film’s biggest weakness lies in its treatment of the biowarfare plot. The concept is massive, but the execution feels superficial—almost assembled from social media chatter rather than researched, layered writing. The Chinese-den sequences and political backdrop feel tacky. Predictability further cripples the film; every beat unfolds exactly as expected, leaving little room for surprise.
The much-hyped interval block does manage to hold the film together and briefly revives interest. Post-interval, a new antagonist boosts the stakes, but his arc ultimately devolves into repetitive action fillers, stretching the runtime without adding narrative weight.
Emotional tracks tied to divinity appear sincere in concept but fall flat in impact. One turns preachy; the other overstays its welcome.
The climax is loud, chaotic, and visually messy, exacerbated by dialogues that sound more like political proclamations than character-driven lines.
In the end, Balakrishna’s earnestness is the only element consistently grounding the film—but even he cannot salvage a screenplay that lacks freshness, emotional depth, and narrative grip.
What Works
• Balakrishna’s powerhouse presence
• A solid interval block
• Some enjoyable second-half action sequences
• A relevant, high-stakes core concept
What Doesn’t Work
• Highly predictable screenplay
• Underutilized supporting cast
• Weak emotional impact
• Inconsistent visual effects
• Cluttered climax and preachy dialogue
• Mediocre music in the first half